Early Saturday, well around midnight Friday night, I got up to go to the bathroom...I had such severe vertigo, I couldn't walk. I sat back down on the bed, waited for it to ease off, then tried again. Managed to go, but when I stood up again I was so dizzy I almost fell into the bathtub. I ended up being in bed for most of the day yesterday, unable to stand. And in bed, I could only lie on one side. Any movement rendered me so dizzy and nauseous, it was unbearable. I took Gravol and that helped, and Pepto Bismal for the queasiness, and by mid-afternoon I could get up and sit on the couch, but not much more. I tried to get on the computer, but after 10 minutes was too dizzy to even walk back up the stairs.

Today it's a little better. I even went outside this morning, hoping the fresh air would help. We did our errands, but by noon I was feeling so unwell we had to come home.

I'm not feeling sick, ie, it's not a cold, and I don't think it's the flu. I have no other aches, pains or trouble anywhere that seem related. I can barely function...I feel as if I'm adrift in a rowboat on a stormy ocean, very motion-sick at the slightest movement. I'm heading to bed now, but know I won't be able to sleep without another Gravol, because this vertigo even wakes me up from deep sleep.

I can't fathom what it is. It's miserable...I wouldn't mind it so much if I actually WAS on a cruise ship out on the ocean, but this isn't the least bit fun! Actually, it's a little frightening. I've never experienced this severity of vertigo before, even on a cruise.

I used to be dizzy constantly -- though not as severely as what you describe -- and finally a doctor diagnosed me with adrenal fatigue. I changed my diet completely and haven't had it since.

DJ, I've been sitting here reading everything I can find on Adrenal Fatigue, and OMG, it's 100% me! Every word, every symptom, even many of the causes describe what I'm living and have been living since April 2007. There is an ongoing situation in our lives that is intolerably stressful, and I have quite literally been living on an emotional roller coaster for so long that I cannot remember what it was like to feel any sense of stability. I try so hard to stay calm, and to find ways to ground myself, but it's very hard when this situation impacts us to some degree on a daily basis and at heart-wrenching degrees on a regular basis. There are some days when I wonder how much more I can take.

Can I ask what dietary changes you've made?

Eagle, I'm sure DJ will be back to share.

I've mentioned this before, but I'll share again because it might help. I went through a dizzy bout and with the help of a bolld test, it showed that I was dehydrated. It was that simple. Drink more. Wouldn't it be wonderful if this cures you?

Another thought is to have your potassium level checked. I recall Mom being terribly dizzy. She needed potassioum badly.

Feel better! Thinking of you.

I finally called the doctor's office this morning. She didn't have an opening until Dec 29. Well, I said a little prayer that if this needed quicker attention, things would work out. When we returned from the grocery store, we noticed that the doctor's office had called back. She had a cancellation tomorrow and wondered if I could come in then! So hopefully we'll get some blood tests done and find out what this is about.

I wouldn't be surprised if my potassium's low. As for dehydration, I drink water constantly. By this time of the day, for example, I've had about 5 full glasses. I'm always thirsty, constantly drinking water - then constantly leaking it back out again! (and my blood sugar is perfect, so it's not that).

Anyway, it was a relief to get that appointment so soon. I'm barely functioning here.

You think it could be an inner ear infection Eagle? Keep us posted.

Eagleheart, it is strongly suggested that you obtain an opinion from ear, nose and throat specialist. They would be in a better position to deal with inner ear problems.

It is our inner ears that control our sense of balance. I did have 2 episodes of vertigo, very temporary and isolated a few years ago.

lst episode was about 2.5 yrs. ago while I was biking slowly. It was not a hot day. I had only biked half hr. before on flats. Suddenly I felt a little dizzy. So I dismounted and walked bike for a few min. Then I was ok.

Next episode was about 3 months later. I was quietly working in front of the computer during day at home. Then suddenly the room spun and my whole vision could not focus. I got naseous and felt so dizzy that I could not open my eyes, much less, ...crawl to the living rm. So my partner lifted me from den to living rm. and put me on the couch. Where I laid there with eyes closed for the next 4 hrs.

Then I was ok. Before then I could not sit up, stand up nor go anywhere. I could not attend an art class that afternoon. I did get tested for any abnormalities in my ear at a audio testing clinic where they did extensive testing for 3 hrs. This is at a teaching /research hospital in a major city.

Though no cause has been determined since then, it has raised my level of awareness that I do ...be grateful for my sense of balance.

One of my sisters who is 47 is currrently experiencing mild vertigo, off and on for past few months, where she finds she walks more slowly. I think it makes her more afraid to try any form of exercise. Not sure what the status is now. Like me she does not drive.

EagleH, being in Ottawa you should be able to get your ears/hearing tested via family dr.'s referral.

Thanks Orchid (and Chick). My Dad suffered from inner ear problems most of his life. He always assumed it was because he had broken his ear drum when he was young. He suffered a lot on windy days, because the wind would affect his equilibrium so much that he would become too dizzy to walk or stay outside even to rake or garden. It got worse as he got older. I sure hope it wasn't something hereditary.

My doctor will probably refer me to an ENT, but I also want her to check out this adrenal fatigue thing, since it encompasses so much of what's been plaguing me for months now. One of the problems with having chronic depression (dysthemia) is that the doctor (and I do it too) tend to blame everything on that and we don't bother investigating any further. But this time I think we'll check it all out just to be sure.

Eagle,
I did all those tests too -- the ENT, increased my potassium by eating bananas, increased my water intake. I even had a dizziness test which is a horrible horrible experience. Because your balance has to do with the coordination between ears and eyes, they somehow connect your eyesight to a computer and squirt water into your ear. OMG it's sickening! They found nothing wrong. I think I only let them do it to one ear -- it was sooo awful.

I personally have made drastic dietary changes, but not just for adrenal fatigue. Most people wouldn't go so far, and probably don't have to.

One simple test you can do by yourself is shine a light into your eyes and remove it and see how quickly your pupils dilate. With adrenal fatigue, your pupils are more sluggish.

Anyway, I can tell you the most important lessons that my doc wanted me to do:
eat more protein, and do so frequently, like between meals. She told me to eat at like 10 a.m. and 2 or 3 p.m., and to have nuts and cheese. Warning: it's fattening, but it made the first big difference.

I was diagnosed 7 years ago and after a very little while, didn't feel dizzy.
My kids always thought it was hilarious how dizzy I was -- I mean, if they even touched the chair I was sitting in, I got dizzy.

Over the years, I've done a lot of reading about this and there seems to be some rather cutting edge medical science going on. For me, it turned out I was sensitive to manh of the foods I love and ate all the time, and it's a strange assortment -- celery, cane sugar, cow milk, eggs, kidney beans, black pepper are the worst so I pretty much avoid them. They say that when you eat something you're allergic to, your body doesn't process it so it escapes through the stomach walls and into the blood stream, your immune system attacks it as foreign substances, which stimulates your adrenal glands to produce cortisol in response to the stress.

Other kinds of stress can have the same effect.

Another important thing I learned about food is to vary it -- i.e., if you love something, it's oaky to have it 3 days in a row, but then give it a rest for a day or so. I used to eat celery in my salad every single day, and put black pepper on everything, and had a terrible sweet tooth. I still eat sugary things occasionally, but not cane sugar. I've switched to goat cheese and goat yogurt.

Other dietary changes I've made for other reasons are that I eat organic as much as possible.

I can only say some prayers for you Eagle that they find and fix whatever ails you. Oh one good thing is if its the need of more potassium, thats an easy one, and bananas are so tasty too.